Welcome, welcome! I am sooooooo super excited to be your tour guide this week for the "Sew Americana" blog tour. Bet you can't guess what we are featuring this week! Oh wait. Is it that obvious?

Independence Day is coming up and I know that I'm not the only crazy person who feels compelled to make red, white and blue stuff for wearing and decorating. So I thought that I'd create a space for my blogging genius friends to gather and share their makes. Welcome aboard! (And don't worry if you're not one of the main tour members, we have a linkup on everyone's post that allows you to share what you've made this holiday season as well! Please do share too! We'd love it!)

Let's get to it! Day 1 is full of goodies. Please don't be shy! Go take a look through all of the blogs and make sure to leave some love for our bloggers.

What was my take on "Sew Americana"? I dressed the entire McKinley trio in patriotic garb! I'll be the first to admit that I'm majorly crushing over each piece I made. (Also...I'm super happy with the way our photos turned out. It's not often that a tripod, remote and three snarky/sassy people can get some usable shots. But I actually love some of these so much that I might be picking one or two out to print for our walls! Yay us!)

I love to make coordinating outfits for the three of us. Because coordinating = good. Matching = bad. There's a major difference, people!

Let's talk my outfit first. I mean, I made them. So I can go in whatever order I want. My dress is the Essential Tank from Patterns for Pirates, hacked with a circle skirt drop yoke. I plan on making more this way because I love how it looks and allows me to mix/match some fabrics.

I simply took the Essential Tank pattern and cut it at the tanktop line. Then headed over to By Hand London's circle skirt calculator and figured out the "waist radius" I'd be needing. Obviously it's not my waist anymore, but the concept is still the same. I just measured the bottom hem and plugged those numbers into the calculator. I opted for a full circle skirt and ended up making it 11" long...but then chopped off about an inch and a half, after deciding it was too long but I was too lazy to hem. So in order to keep the raw hem, I just took a rotary blade to my skirt and shortened it that way. #lazysewist

Louis' shirt is an obvious choice for him. Kiddo loves Captain America. Even if he hasn't watched or read anything in a really long time with Steve in it, he still will tell you that Cap is his favorite. Totally works for me, especially because making Captain America stuff is super easy. Pun NOT intended.

And what's more American than Captain America? Um. Nothing.

This shirt was a breeze to make too! I used the YoHo Henley from Patterns for Pirates as a base and cut a colorblocked section 7" from the bottom. (If you're doing this too, remember to add your seam allowances to both top and bottom sections of the blocking!) I also added an HTV star to the front, as well as "On Your Left" on the backside of the shirt. I felt like it needed just that little bit more to make the shirt be different.

Louis was hoping to be more in character and holding Cap's shield but I didn't feel like going to look for it. Sorry kiddo! You still rocked our little photoshoot!

PS. Stop growing up. I had to cut out a new size in shirts today because you're growing out of everything I made for you over this past year. WAAAAAAH!

And last, but certainly not least: the man of the house. Bennett isn't the easiest person to sew for. Let's just be honest. He doesn't like his clothes to be "flashy". He won't wear stripes. And certain colors are out for him. So it limits my creativity and over the top designs that I like to create a bit.

HOWEVER, it does challenge me. To think about how to create something unique but downplayed. It's a whole new level of creative problem solving. I'll take the challenge!

For that dashing husband of mine, I mashed two patterns together. The Jerry Raglan from Cole's Creations and the Men's Henley from Patterns for Pirates. It's a mash made heaven. Pun VERY MUCH intended. Stand-up comedy tour, here I come.

It's not the easiest to see in these photos, but the placket is made from a woven fabric from JoAnns that has faux-political buttons all over it. I spotted Democrat fabric in JoAnns the other day and needed it, I just didn't have a plan yet. But I do believe this was a perfect job for it.

Simple. Down played. Fits well. Still themed. Bingo-bango.

I know that you are just dying to see more pictures of our family together. And I really wouldn't want to disappoint. So here are a few of my favorites.

As a special bonus for our readers, use the code ' SEWAMERICANA ' and enjoy a 20% discount at www.THREADandGRAIN.com You'll find a ton of maker-inspired goodies!
(All created by your tour guide, Katy, from Wild & Wanderful.)

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Guess what's on the blog today? That's right! I did a full blown run-down of my thoughts on the Cricut Maker / Explore Air2 and the Silhouette Cameo3. Head to my blog and see what I had to say. #wildandwanderfulblog #cricutmaker #silhouettecameo3 #cricutvssilhouette #silhouettevscricut #makersgonnamake #cricut #silhouetteamerica #silhouettecameo #cricutexploreair #exploreair2

Explore Air2 vs Maker vs Cameo3: Which one should you get? ♥️ Working on this right now. I'm trying to be as in depth and honest as possible. I hope it's helpful! Check back tomorrow to see what I have to say! #cameo3 #silhouettecameo #silhouetteamerica #cricutmaker #cricutexploreair2 #cricutvssilhouette #makersgonnamake #wildandwanderfulblog

Louis has been working really hard on some artwork that he wants to sell in our booth at Oglebayfest in two weeks. I love this kid. Hopefully he sells his work! #everyoneneedsalouis

Irish Road Bowling 2017. We may not have won in the game itself. But damnit we won in spirit. #irishroadbowling #wheelingwv #thegoldenbullets

Watch out for those guns. #irishroadbowling #wheelingwv

Meet: The Golden Bullets. The best damn Irish Bowling Team in America. Or something like that. ☘️🍺 #irishroadbowling #wheelingwv